#Giveaway Copies of both LOVE AND OTHER VARIABLES and LIFE AFTER JULIET
July 2, 2016
“Then I defy you, stars!” – Romeo
Romeo and Juliet is not my favorite of Shakespeare’s plays, and yet it
found its way into both LOVE
AND OTHER UNKNOWN VARIABLES and LIFE AFTER JULIET. There’s
a funny T-shirt I’ve seen on Etsy that reads, “I think Romeo and Juliet could
have handled the whole situation better.” That pretty much sums up how I feel
about the play.
I’ve always thought it was such a shame that Romeo and Juliet felt so controlled
by their fates that death felt like their only choice. The play ended on a
hopeless note. I never believed that they had died for a greater cause—to stop
their families from feuding. It felt like a cheat, and I don’t like authorial
cheats.
Throughout the whole play, Shakespeare is trying to get these two crazy
lovebirds together for the happily-ever-after, and then boom! Death. And more
Death (and throw in a few more deaths for good measure). And I’m supposed to nod
along and say, “Well, at least the Capulets and Montagues learned their lessons.”
No.
That’s not what I want.
I’ve spent years contemplating Romeo and Juliet’s actions. When I try to make
sense of their deaths the best I can come up with is a dim understanding that
sometimes love isn’t about the happily-ever-after. Sometimes, it has to be about
the happily-ever-now.
That was certainly a lesson I wanted Charlie Hanson to experience in LOVE AND OTHER UNKNOWN
VARIABLES. Charlie lived his life with his head stuck in the future. His
every day decisions were made based on what would make his future better. He
very rarely considered the fact that by putting off his life for the future, he
was missing out on some important living (and loving) he needed to do in the now.
Becca Hanson, in LIFE AFTER
JULIET, spends too much of her time lost in the imaginary worlds of books.
She’s not focusing on any aspect of her own life—past, present, or future! She’s
living purely to escape from her real life. She aches to be Real, to be part of
the world around her, but she’s afraid. Like Juliet, Becca believes there’s
nothing left in the Real world for her after losing Charlotte. She’s convinced
there is no happily-ever-now or-after for her.
Shakespeare wrote at a time when people believed very firmly that fate was at
the helm and people were but puppets to its whims. Romeo and Juliet certainly
believed that about their own lives. There are numerous references throughout
the play to fate ruling them. Even in the instant that Romeo shouts, “Then I
defy you, stars,” he is giving in to fate, giving it exactly what it wants, his
life.
In writing LOVE AND OTHER
UNKNOWN VARIABLES and LIFE AFTER JULIET, I tried
to be sure that Charlie and Becca were aware of their own will. I tried to be
sure they understood that they were in charge of their own fates. There are many
things in life that we can’t control, like freak accidents, natural disasters,
and cancer, too. But we are always in control of our own choices in life. I hope
that readers take away that understanding from both of these books. I hope that
readers, like Charlie and Becca, find the will to defy the stars and find their
own happily-ever whenever they choose.
Shannon Lee Alexander is a wife and mother (of two kids and one yellow
terrier named Harriet Potter). She is passionate about coffee, books, and cancer
research. She spent most of her time in high school hiding out in the theater
with the drammies and techies. Math still makes her break out in a sweat. She
currently lives in Indianapolis with her family.
Becca Hanson is a reader-a voracious reader. And with
all those
fictional friends, she never had time for real ones. Plus real ones come with
uncontrollable quirks, like constantly filling a room with song, drawing on any
available surface, and worst of all, dying. Real friends are more trouble than
they're worth. Since her best-and only-real friend Charlotte's death six months
before, Becca has returned to a life of books in order to distance herself from
heartache and constant loneliness as her junior year at Sandstone High begins.
When a class project forces her into the Drama Club, she attracts the
attention of not one, but TWO guys involved in the production, onstage and off.
Meanwhile, she's still dealing with the grief of Charlotte's death--the fact
that Charlie is away at MIT--and that she finally has to build a life for
herself on her own terms. Ultimately she learns more about who she is, what she
wants, how she feels--and how to find what she's looking for. (And while she
isn't sure what comes next, she's pretty sure there'll be more kissing
involved.)
Young Adult
[Entangled Teen, On Sale: July 5, 2016, Hardcover /
e-Book, ISBN: 9781633753235 / eISBN: 9781633753242]
Very valid points made. We have free will; our option to use it. (Kathleen Bylsma 4:56pm July 2, 2016)
Agree with your point although I still like the Romeo and Juliet story, it was a needless ending that could have easily been prevented. (Kelly Holt 3:54am July 6, 2016)
That is what life is about, free will. We dare to defy the rules that are set up against us. We make our own rules to succeed by finding our weaknesses and to find solutions to reach our goals. After all Fate is what we make (OK, I'm borrowing a quote from Terminator). (Kai Wong 2:21am July 9, 2016)
Although I haven't read Romeo and Juliet in years, it was one of my favorite works by Shakespeare, although I found it to be heart-wrenching!! As I recall, it was more to be control by their families, more than anything else, which were keeping them from being together as a couple, more than anything else. Not to be a spoiler, but Romeo was killed when word got out, and when Juliet found out, she took her life. Or perhaps it was the other way around. As I said, it's been quite a few years, but nonetheless was very tragic. I know they based the musical West Side Story on the play. That play will stand the test of time, and will teach teenagers for years to come how foolish something like that is, and how senseless something like that is. Young girls will really be impacted by the play, if they read it at the right age. I'm looking forward to reading your spin on the story, and will probably put your books next to my copy of the works of William Shakespeare!! Congratulations on your latest books!! (Peggy Roberson 6:48am July 10, 2016)
I love the romeo and Juliet story although I am more fascinated with your book. (Roanne Gappi 11:16am July 10, 2016)
I have a hard time with the death too, so no it isn't my favorite. (Nancy Luebke 3:23pm July 10, 2016)
It's escapism to be lost in a world of books, true, we miss out on the real world but sometimes it's this escapism which keeps us sane. (Bharti C 7:53am July 12, 2016)
I loved the story until it ended in two suicides (Lily Shah 10:20am July 12, 2016)
I love Romeo/Juliet stories. It's forbidden love so the stakes are high! (Meghan Stith 12:36pm July 13, 2016)
I never really got into Romeo and Juliet . I certainly didn't like the way the story ends . I'd love to read your book and thanks for this chance to win. (Joan Thrasher 10:16am July 13, 2016)
Drama was a nightmare class I had to take in school because the other electives were full. I am a bookworm and not meant for the stage. It will be fun to see how she handled it. Hopefully better than I did. (Tammy VanScoy 2:30pm July 13, 2016)
i love the books to read and i do not judge the book by the cover (Desiree Reilly 3:16pm July 13, 2016)
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